


You are safe here

by pandora_rose_xo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Attacked Malfoy, Bonding, Cuddling, F/M, Healer Cho, Needing Help, Nightmare, Skele-Gro, Staying over
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27438010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandora_rose_xo/pseuds/pandora_rose_xo
Summary: She heard movement in the hallway. She tried to blot it out and focus on her book, but then, all of a sudden, someone started hammering on her door, so loud that she had to answer it so they didn’t wake her neighbours.
Relationships: Cho Chang/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8
Collections: Double Double Toil and Trouble





	You are safe here

Cho was shattered. She’d been on a long shift today and it was a busy one. She was glad to finally be home. She changed into her comfiest loungewear and sat in her armchair, picking up her book. She had already poured herself a large glass of Merlot; she was going to decompress for a while before heading to bed for some much-needed sleep. At least she had tomorrow off so it wasn’t like she had to get an early night or get up at the crack of dawn. 

She heard movement in the hallway. She tried to blot it out and focus on her book, but then, all of a sudden, someone started hammering on her door, so loud that she had to answer it so they didn’t wake her neighbours. She wondered who it was, nobody knew that she lived here; she had tried to keep it on the down-low, as she just wanted this space where she could enjoy herself and have some alone time. She hastily replaced her bookmark before dropping the book on the table beside her chair and getting to her feet. She sighed heavily as she crossed the room to the door, hoping that she could just shoo whoever it was on their way. She couldn’t cope with any company right now. 

She opened the door and her jaw dropped. Draco Malfoy stood on her mat, his hand up, ready to hammer on the door again. Clutching his side, there was a bright scarlet bloodstain on his shirt. “Cho, thank the stars. Can you help me?” He stuttered, a pleading look in his eyes. 

“Draco,” she said, staring at the blood, wondering what had happened, how he knew she lived here, and why he had come to her. “I- uh- come on in.” She said, stepping aside as he stumbled over the threshold. So much for her peaceful night. “Over there,” she pointed to her table and kitchen chairs. Thankful that most of her floors were wood - they would be easier to clean. “What happened?” 

“I got attacked, it _feels_ like one of my ribs may be damaged, but I’m no healer,” he said. Then looked straight at her as he added, “unlike you.” 

She grabbed her wand and potions, “I am going to need you to remove your shirt,” she said. A small blush colouring her cheeks. The thought of him shirtless in her apartment made her imagine what any of her friends would say if they could see her now. 

He slowly shrugged his shirt off. She noticed the wincing that he was clearly trying to hide as if he was too proud to show that he was in pain. 

She moved close to him and crouched down. There was a gaping wound in his side, and she could see without looking closely that he had lost a lot of blood. She took a closer look, gently touching around the wound. It looked fresh, so at least she wouldn’t have to contend with any infection. She peered into the hole and saw bone, chipped bone. 

Sitting back on the floor and crossing her legs she looked up at Draco, he was paler than she had ever seen him. “I have to say, for someone who isn’t a healer your guess was right, one of your ribs is chipped. Badly.” She pushed to her feet. “You are going to have to have some Skele-Gro, it is the only thing that will sort your rib out. You can’t have a rib that is chipped, it will cause issues in time.” 

She moved to her shelves of potions; rattled around trying to find the Skele-Gro. “The blood loss and wound will be easy to deal with, but I need you to take this first. I will sort the wound out afterwards, but I am going to have to ask if you can stay here so I can monitor you. I have a spare room you can sleep in.” 

As she turned around, Draco was staring at her, a sleepy look in his eyes and a flicker of pain crossed his face. “I can manage that,” he said. His voice was softer than she had ever thought it could be. “I could think of worse places to have to sleep, and worse people I could have turned to. Thank you for this, Cho. I am more grateful than you could believe.” 

She administered the Skele-Gro and Draco took it, surprisingly easy. With a little wand work his wound was knitting itself back together. She wrapped bandages around his torso with gentle hands. He still flinched a couple of times. When she was done she led him to the spare room. The bed already made up as she has a habit of keeping it ready just in case, fact she was grateful for at that moment. 

“Sleep here. I will keep coming to check on you throughout the night. Rest, right now, will be the best thing for you. You will heal better that way.” 

“Thank you, Cho,” Draco said as he sank down onto the bed, “I mean it, thank you for taking me in, for helping me. Not many people would have done that.” 

“I wouldn’t be a very good healer if I only treated those people I liked, now would I?” Cho said, retreating to the hall, “now get some rest, I promise you are safe here with me.” 

:: :: :: 

Draco had never thought he would be so happy and relaxed hearing that he would feel safe somewhere. The time after the war had not been kind to him. Despite his best efforts, the Malfoy name was still looked down upon thanks to his family’s ties with Lord Voldemort, including his own. Things had changed, though. He had changed, but people seemed to be too narrow-minded to see that. Which is how he ended up in so many fights, he had lost count of how many times he had ended up in St Mungos for his injures, this time thought he was one his way home. A home that just so happened to be a few doors down from Cho Chang. 

He hadn’t planned on knocking on her door or asking her for help. But he could tell he was losing too much blood, and that there was something not quite right. He didn’t want to risk a splinching by trying to apparate to the hospital and didn’t really want to call out the Medi-wizards so he hedged his bets and tried her. 

He didn’t realise though that she would be so kind, so gentle with him. That she would offer him a bed and keep him safe. The bed was soft and comfortable and the sheets smelled fresh. He drifted off into a peaceful sleep. The first he had had in a very long time. A smile on his face. 

:: :: :: 

Cho definitely needed a shower. As much as she had tried not to, she had managed to get some blood on her. She couldn’t relax covered in her own blood, so there was no way that she would be able to relax with Draco’s blood on her. She had to wonder what had happened to him. She knew that he was a frequent flyer at the hospital for similar injuries. She wondered why he hadn’t gone this time. Trying to push it out of her mind, she locked the bathroom door, turned the shower on to warm up before stripping off and climbing in. 

With the warm water running over her body she managed to relax, she made quick work of washing her hair and the blood off of her body. Once she was done, and the water was running clear rather than pink she turned it off, wrung her hair out before grabbing her towel off of the rail and wrapping herself in it. She felt better now she was all clean, and the steaminess of the room was calming her more than she realised she needed. 

Suddenly there was an almighty, blood-curdling scream from the spare room. Cho quickly threw on some clean clothes and ran towards the room. Draco was sat, bolt upright in bed. Sweat was dripping down his face, his eyes were wide and he was looking around himself trying to take in his surroundings. She rushed over to the bed and sank down beside him, “Draco, it’s alright. It’s Cho, you’re in my spare room, remember?”

His eyes focused on her. Before she knew it, he threw his arms around her and hugged her tight, shaking as his body was wracked with sobs. 

She sat on the bed beside him, put her arms around him, and sat there until he was asleep again. She didn’t know what had happened to him, but she vowed there and then to make sure he never felt like that again. 

“I love you,” he murmured in his sleep. Cho wasn’t sure if he knew that he had said it, or if it was to her, or if he was just having a pleasant dream. Either way, it didn’t matter. He was okay, she just didn’t know whether or not leaving him alone again was a good idea. 

Then her eyes began to feel heavy, and before she knew it, they were asleep wrapped in each other’s arms. 

:: :: ::

Draco woke up the next morning with a start. Something felt _wrong_. Then, he saw Cho laying there, her arms around him, sound asleep. He gently unclasped her hands and eased himself up, hoping not to disturb her. He was grateful that she had helped him, that she had checked on him and taken care of him, but he knew outstaying his welcome was not a good idea. He could make himself at home here. He had always admired her, from afar, and he had grown to love her over the last year they had been near neighbours. A fact he hadn’t told anyone and wasn’t sure if he ever would. 

She roused as he was sorting himself out. He knew that he looked a mess; he always did the day after any of the attacks. 

“Draco?” She asked, her voice still groggy. “You can’t leave yet.” She sat up and put a gentle hand on his shoulder in order to stop him. “I need to check your wounds, and you could do with cleaning yourself up a bit, too.” 

He turned and looked over his shoulder, “I think I have imposed enough on your hospitality, don’t you?” 

He dreamed of her last night. It was a lovely dream, but one that petrified him. Yes, she was being nice to him, but she couldn’t forgive him for his past mistakes. No one seemed to be able to. It would be better for both of them if he disappeared now before anyone spotted him leaving her flat and rumours began to spread. 

“I think you should listen to your healer, Draco,” she said, her voice becoming more firm. “You lost a lot of blood. You had a chipped rib, for Merlin’s sake. Just- let me make sure you are okay before you leave, please.” She stared him down. “I would feel awful if something else happened.” 

He finally sagged back, “okay,” he agreed. He wouldn’t be able to stand hurting her or making her feel bad. And it was nice that _someone_ seemed to care about him. “Thank you, again.” 

Once she had checked him over she handed him a fresh towel out of the hallway cupboard and pointed him to the bathroom whilst she went to make coffee and breakfast. 

“Thank you,” Draco repeated as he came out of the bathroom in fresh clothes, towel drying his hair. “I mean it, I knew I could count on you.” 

“Any time,” she replied, a genuine smile on her face as she motioned to the seat opposite her which had a steaming mug of coffee and Full English on the table in front of it. 


End file.
